DRINKING WATER
Is Monitoring Of Total Or Free Chlorine A Better Option For Dechlorination Control?
Accurate dechlorination control requires monitoring all residual oxidants that threaten membrane integrity. Total chlorine analysis provides the necessary precision at ultra-low levels, ensuring comprehensive protection against oxidative damage while maintaining reagent stability during intermittent system operations.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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![An Affordable Greywater Treatment And Reuse Solution For Commercial Properties]( "An Affordable Greywater Treatment And Reuse Solution For Commercial Properties")
An Affordable Greywater Treatment And Reuse Solution For Commercial PropertiesThe Boy Scouts of America wanted an environmentally friendly method for disposing of the greywater generated by their shower buildings. Here’s how Orenco’s AdvanTex Treatment Systems helped.
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![APEI_CASE-STUDY_USMC_Winter_Warfare_Training_Center_FINAL-4]( "Applied Cartridge Systems Supplies Arsenic Removal System To UMC Training Center In A Hurry")
Applied Cartridge Systems Supplies Arsenic Removal System To UMC Training Center In A HurryThe Department of Defense's USMC Winter Warfare Training Center needed a new CA Water Board-approved system in a very short time frame.
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Working With Customers To Reduce Water Usage During California Drought
In 2015, California entered the fourth year of a severe drought, the driest it has been since record keeping began in the late 1800s. This historic long-term drought is a problem for every American, regardless of where they live, because it has implications for the economy, society and environment.
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![(For Siemens Process Instrumentation Use Only) gettyimages-598091682-170667a]( "Water Authority Chooses Siemens Pressure Transmitters For Accuracy, Reliability And Ease Of Use")
Water Authority Chooses Siemens Pressure Transmitters For Accuracy, Reliability And Ease Of UseA county water authority in the Northeast U.S. supplies over 40 million gallons per day to its 340,000 residential customers. In this case study, learn why they chose Siemens pressure transmitters.
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![cottage-grove-MN]( "Cottage Grove Municipal Treatment System Removes PFAS Compounds From Well Water Using Granular Activated Carbon")
Cottage Grove Municipal Treatment System Removes PFAS Compounds From Well Water Using Granular Activated CarbonLocated in the Twin Cities metro area, the city of Cottage Grove, Minnesota, needed to increase the capacity of its drinking water system. To meet demands for compliant water two additional wells were equipped with treatment systems designed to reduce PFAS.
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![Innovyze-WhitePaper-WaterLoss-OA-Letter-Size-(1)-3]( "Managing Water Loss In Four Easy Steps")
Managing Water Loss In Four Easy StepsA practical approach to detecting leaks and reducing non-revenue water.
Water utilities are charged with an incredibly important task – providing safe and affordable water to communities in the face of aging infrastructure, funding gaps, and changing regulatory requirements. Specifically, when considering water loss control, leakage, and operational inefficiencies, costs may appear to be unaffordable.
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Desalination In The Caribbean
More than 7,000 islands of the Caribbean Archipelago are scattered over a million-square-mile area between North and South America. Some smaller islands are naturally dry, but some volcanic islands — like Grenada and St. Lucia — are well forested and provide significant water catchment to support spring water and surface water. But, as populations, agriculture, and industry grow, desalination is becoming more attractive as a water source throughout the entire region.
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Cutting-Edge Solutions For Coking Wastewater Reuse To Meet The Standard Of Circulation Cooling Systems
Coking wastewater generated from the processes of coking, coke gas purification, and recovery of coking products, is highly toxic and carcinogenic. The wastewater usually contains phenolic, aromatic, heterocyclic, and polycyclic organics, and some inorganics, such as cyanides, sulfides, ammonium, ammonia, and so on, which makes it hardly degradable. By Jenny Zhang ,Scientist, Dow Water & Process Solution, Dow Chemical (China) Investment Ltd. and Juno Chen, Business Communications Manager, Dow Chemical (China) Investment Ltd.
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![Removing Iron, Arsenic and Manganese To Meet California Regulations]( "Removing Iron, Arsenic, And Manganese To Meet California Regulations")
Removing Iron, Arsenic, And Manganese To Meet California RegulationsA pilot study was conducted in Sacramento to provide manufacturers an opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of water treatment products that employ oxidation and filtration to remove iron, manganese, and arsenic to levels.
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![gettyimages-842727238-170667a]( "Embracing An Evolved Maintenance Strategy")
Embracing An Evolved Maintenance StrategyLearn how you can find a permanent, cost-effective solution that offers flexibility, improved safety, and more.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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How To Install A Submersible Pump In Discharge Tubes11/28/2012
In the fields of water and waste water technology, submersible pumps represent a viable economic and technical alternative to conventional, dry-installed pumps. In particular, they offer a number of handling advantages during maintenance and installation work.
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Bringing Efficiency And New Confidence To BOD₅ Analysis2/4/2013
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) analysis is the test everyone loves to hate—and for compelling reasons.
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Application Note: Troubleshooting A pH Electrode1/26/2011
Many factors affect performance of a pH electrode. When performance degrades, it is always a challenge for the analyst to identify the cause. Common troubleshooting procedures, which include evaluation of slope, electrode drift, time response, and accuracy, take considerable time. By Thermo Fisher Scientific
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LC-MS/MS Analysis Of PFAS Extractables In Polyethersulfone Syringe Filters Using EPA 537.15/18/2022
A key consideration for any PFAS method is to avoid contamination that can impact the accuracy of data, including those coming from sample preparation techniques such as filtration.
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Background And Summary Of Tests For The 2000PV Restraint4/13/2021
The 2000PV is a restraint for PVC pipe and the standardized mechanical joint. This product is the result of years of testing and evaluation and its performance has been proven by thousands of hours of proof tests, as well as third-party evaluations. This report describes the 2000PV through the 12" size.
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Application Note: Busseron Creek Watershed Partnership Addresses Concerns In A Rural Watershed1/20/2010As with other watershed organizations, the Busseron Creek Watershed Partnership (BCWP) exists because of surface water quality degradation. In this case, those waters drain 163,231 acres of a watershed that crosses the boundaries of Vigo, Clay, Green, and Sullivan counties in West- Central Indiana. By YSI
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'TOTEX' Is Key When Purchasing Instrumentation4/29/2021
There’s a lot to be considered in the price tag of an ultrasonic instrument. Derek Moore from Siemens explains how the historical way of thinking only of capital costs needs to change to the more holistic approach of total expenditures.
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The Basics: ORP and Free Chlorine Monitoring5/13/2014
Oxidation Reduction Potential or Redox is the activity or strength of oxidizers and reducers in relation to their concentration. Oxidizers accept electrons, reducers lose electrons. Examples of oxidizers are: chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, bromine, ozone, and chlorine dioxide. Examples of reducers are sodium sulfite, sodium bisulfate and hydrogen sulfide. Like acidity and alkalinity, the increase of one is at the expense of the other.
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Performance Test Services For UV Advanced Oxidation Systems12/1/2025
UV AOP performance verification requires a robust test matrix covering design, operating, and control conditions. This process includes on-site execution, sample analysis, and troubleshooting to achieve successful regulatory approval.
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How Activated Carbon Works To Purify Air And Water10/31/2019
The first step is to define the performance limiting factors in the application. For this application, most of the adsorber is used for MTBE adsorption in the ppb concentration range. Adsorption of BTEX, TBA, or humic acids or other total organic carbon (TOC) components are removed by the front end of the column.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
The OPTISONIC 6300 P is a portable, battery-powered ultrasonic clamp-on flowmeter for temporary flow measurement of (non-)conductive liquids. It can be used at virtually any location and without process interruption or need to cut pipes. Due to its flexibility, the meter is equally suited for comparative measurements on stationary measuring equipment (e.g. pumps, flowmeters etc.) or for use as a short-term replacement of faulty devices. As standard the clamp-on flowmeter is also provided with a measurement option for thermal energy applications.
The PermaSeal Insertion Valve is a true resilient wedge gate valve that embraces applicable requirements of the AWWA industry standard and is compatible with most major pipe types. Developed with “clean seat” technology, this insert valve solution offers reliable and repeatable watertight shutoff suitable for utilities’ exercise programs.
The DR6000™ is the industry’s most advanced laboratory spectrophotometer for water testing. It offers high-speed wavelength scanning across the UV and Visible Spectrum, and comes with over 250 pre-programmed methods including the most common water and environmental testing methods used today.
The PipeRank™ machine learning technology delivered by Echologics, leverages historical failure data and other site-specific data to accurately predict which of your water pipelines will break next, allowing you to prioritize segments for further inspection and those that need to be replaced immediately.
The Capital Controls Series 480 all-vacuum gas feeder is designed for direct mounting to a 150 pound gas cylinder or ton container. It is a basic alternative for those applications requiring a chlorine feed rate of 250 PPD (5 kg/h) or less.
The Model T70G4000 chlorine dioxide generator is designed to produce and consistently maintain a product yield greater than 90%, which makes it ideal for drinking water treatment. It is a two chemical system, utilizing commercially available concentrations of hydrochloric acid and sodium chlorite in the production of chlorine dioxide. No chlorine gas is required. A proven design, durable construction and the use of the best available corrosion-resistant materials assure efficient gas production, precise solution feeding, low maintenance and dependable operation for the life of the equipment.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![snowystream-Getty-521971897]( "Winter's Alarmingly Low Snowpack Offers A Glimpse Of The Changing Rhythm Of Water In The Western U.S.")
The April 1 snowpack measurement has long been the single most important number in western water management, considered a strong proxy for how much water the mountains are holding in reserve. But in 2026, that savings account has been woefully deficient.
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![ColoradoRiverDam_Getty-1280300802]( "Why Colorado River Negotiations Stalled, And How They Could Resume With The Possibility Of Agreement")
Why Colorado River Negotiations Stalled, And How They Could Resume With The Possibility Of AgreementThe five most common sources of conflict between people are values, data, relationships, interests, and structure. The current Colorado River negotiations include all five. -
![Water droplets, PFAS, Forever chemical water contamination-GettyImages-2173433890]( "Designing Resilient PFAS Treatment Strategies For Water Agencies")
Water agencies across the U.S. are facing a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that poses a conundrum: Should they take a cautious or aggressive approach to treating PFAS contamination in their water system?
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![Oil spill clean up-GettyImages-1369921282]( "The Future Of In Situ Chemical Oxidation For Targeted Solvent Destruction")
The U.S. EPA’s 2026 trichloroethylene (TCE) compliance deadlines are now forcing a concrete shift toward source-zone destruction. In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO), sequenced with enhanced bioremediation, is proving to be the most credible path to groundwater contaminant rebound mitigation.
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![GettyImages-1365695094 water in hands]( "How Generative Design Can Help UK Utilities Justify PR29 Investment Cases")
Generative design strengthens PR29 investment cases by enabling rigorous optioneering, accurate cost estimates, and clear outcome alignment, helping water companies meet rising regulatory expectations.
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![money, dollars down the drain-GettyImages-157193934]( "Critical Infrastructure Fails The Way It's Funded")
Our infrastructure systems have operated in managed deterioration for decades. And not surprisingly, once they deteriorate badly enough and cross over into active failure, all cost discipline disappears.
DRINKING WATER VIDEOS
How researchers at UC Merced are developing a better understanding of the three sources of water upon which California depends in order to adapt to the effects of environmental changes and make better use of this most precious of our natural resources.
More than 100 beers were on tap during the Xylem beer tasting event in New Orleans. While each beer had it’s own flavor, every beer was brewed with one special ingredient… reuse water. Watch the video to learn more.
Water infrastructure projects often face extreme installation conditions, from deep-trench burials to exposed bridge crossings. Ensuring long-term reliability requires a material capable of withstanding environmental stressors that can compromise other piping options. Ductile iron pipe offers superior durability, maintaining its structural integrity regardless of temperature fluctuations or UV exposure. Watch the full video to explore these benefits in action.
ABOUT DRINKING WATER
In most developed countries, drinking water is regulated to ensure that it meets drinking water quality standards. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers these standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Drinking water considerations can be divided into three core areas of concern:
- Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
- Drinking water treatment of source water
- Distribution of treated drinking water to consumers
Drinking Water Sources
Source water access is imperative to human survival. Sources may include groundwater from aquifers, surface water from rivers and streams and seawater through a desalination process. Direct or indirect water reuse is also growing in popularity in communities with limited access to sources of traditional surface or groundwater.
Source water scarcity is a growing concern as populations grow and move to warmer, less aqueous climates; climatic changes take place and industrial and agricultural processes compete with the public’s need for water. The scarcity of water supply and water conservation are major focuses of the American Water Works Association.
Drinking Water Treatment
Drinking Water Treatment involves the removal of pathogens and other contaminants from source water in order to make it safe for humans to consume. Treatment of public drinking water is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Common examples of contaminants that need to be treated and removed from water before it is considered potable are microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides.
There are a variety of technologies and processes that can be used for contaminant removal and the removal of pathogens to decontaminate or treat water in a drinking water treatment plant before the clean water is pumped into the water distribution system for consumption.
The first stage in treating drinking water is often called pretreatment and involves screens to remove large debris and objects from the water supply. Aeration can also be used in the pretreatment phase. By mixing air and water, unwanted gases and minerals are removed and the water improves in color, taste and odor.
The second stage in the drinking water treatment process involves coagulation and flocculation. A coagulating agent is added to the water which causes suspended particles to stick together into clumps of material called floc. In sedimentation basins, the heavier floc separates from the water supply and sinks to form sludge, allowing the less turbid water to continue through the process.
During the filtration stage, smaller particles not removed by flocculation are removed from the treated water by running the water through a series of filters. Filter media can include sand, granulated carbon or manufactured membranes. Filtration using reverse osmosis membranes is a critical component of removing salt particles where desalination is being used to treat brackish water or seawater into drinking water.
Following filtration, the water is disinfected to kill or disable any microbes or viruses that could make the consumer sick. The most traditional disinfection method for treating drinking water uses chlorine or chloramines. However, new drinking water disinfection methods are constantly coming to market. Two disinfection methods that have been gaining traction use ozone and ultra-violet (UV) light to disinfect the water supply.
Drinking Water Distribution
Drinking water distribution involves the management of flow of the treated water to the consumer. By some estimates, up to 30% of treated water fails to reach the consumer. This water, often called non-revenue water, escapes from the distribution system through leaks in pipelines and joints, and in extreme cases through water main breaks.
A public water authority manages drinking water distribution through a network of pipes, pumps and valves and monitors that flow using flow, level and pressure measurement sensors and equipment.
Water meters and metering systems such as automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) allows a water utility to assess a consumer’s water use and charge them for the correct amount of water they have consumed.